1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates of a method and apparatus for making an improved resilient packing material. More particularly, this invention relates to such apparatus and methods for forming, resiliently folding and crimping shredded strips of moistened sheet material into an improved interlocking, bulk, packaging material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Styrofoam pellets or peanuts are commonly used within the wholesale and retail industries as bulk packaging material. The peanuts are used to position a product away from the interior sides of a container and fill the empty space located therebetween. The peanuts are intended to protect the packaged product against the impact or a blow or other mistreatment.
Dispensing styrofoam peanuts does not require a great degree of sophistication. The peanuts are simply gravity fed from large retainer bins into the empty spaces within a packaging container.
Use of styrofoam peanuts, however, has many drawbacks. For example, if styrofoam peanuts are used to protect a heavy object placed within a container, and such package is jostled and shaken, the object tends to gravitate toward the bottom of the container and the peanuts float upward. Eventually the object can come to rest against the base or side of the container and damage to the object may occur. The light weight of the styrofoam peanuts also allows them to be easily blown by the wind and scattered.
It is of particular concern that the styrofoam peanuts are extremely difficult to dispose of and destroy after use. In fact, because of the extensive use of this nonbiodegradable product, which emits toxic gases if burned, styrofoam peanuts present a major threat to the environment and are being banned from an increasing number of communities.
Styrofoam peanuts are also dangerous to children and to wildlife who often mistake them as food and consequently ingest them. Styrofoam peanuts are not digestible and cause a major source of tracheal blockage in children.
Other packaging filler materials, such as shredded paper, have also been used. Shredded paper, however, usually lays flat within the container and a very large amount of paper is required to provide the bulk needed to fill the voids and to protect the contained object. To provide such a large amount of shredded paper is often cost prohibitive and, following its use, such voluminous amounts of paper must be disposed. In addition, the shock absorbency of flat shredded paper is minimal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,972, by Johnny M. Parker, entitled FOLDING AND CRIMPING APPARATUS, which issued on Nov. 18, 1992, discloses apparatus and method for forming a packing material which eliminates some of the undesired features of the products discussed hereinabove. The apparatus and method is for folding and crimping shredded strips of sheet material into preselected lengths of interlocking, decorative material and/or bulk packing material. The apparatus generally includes an attachment for a commercial paper shredding device for shredded sheet material therein. The apparatus comprises a movable barrier against which the shredded strips of sheet material are impelled upon being expelled from cutting blades of the shredding device. The movable barrier causes the strips to become controlably jammed within a confined area between the barrier and the cutting blades. Further insertion of additional strips into the confined area causes the strips to become compacted, folded, and crimped against a remaining dam of jammed sheet material located within the confined area. This causes the strips to fold and press against themselves and form lengths of thin sheet material having an accordian shape configuration.
U.S. application Ser. No. 538,181, by Johnny M. Parker, entitled RESILIENT PACKING PRODUCT AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING THE SAME, was filed on Jun. 14, 1990, to disclose an improved method and apparatus for forming such a resilient packing product and further details regarding the desired characteristics and features of such resilient packing product. The method of producing the packing product as disclosed therein includes the steps of feeding at least one sheet of material in a first direction; cutting the sheet of material into a plurality of strips; the cutting being performed by rotating two sets of alternating, overlapping cutting discs; the feeding of the sheet of material being between the two sets of cutting discs; advancing each of the strips by the rotating of at least an outer surface of a corresponding one of the cutting discs as the outer surface moves in the first direction; restricting each strip from continued advancing in the first direction; and sequentially folding each of the strip means by the restricting and opposition to the advancing. There is included apparatus and means for producing the packing product with the resulting packing product including a plurality of narrow, elongated strips of material which has a natural resilience. Each of the strips includes a plurality of transverse folds against the natural resilience to form a longitudinally compressed strip element.
While the resilient packing product formed by the method and machines as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,972 and in U.S. application Ser. No. 538,181 have produced a satisfactory resilient packing product, some of the characteristics thereof which are highly desirable have not always been capable of being simply and readily reproduced. In one major embodiment of the invention disclosed therein, Kraft paper is utilized in roll form to continuously produce the desired longitudinally compressed strip means. Each longitudinally compressed strip means includes a plurality of transverse folds with generally longitudinal planar sections therebetween. Repeated, controlled formation of such strip means requires the folds to be formed in opposition to the natural resilience of the paper. As clearly disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 538,181, the initial formation of these folds results in the longitudinal planar sections at either side of the fold being generally brought into full contact. After each strip means is allowed to "relax", the angle of each fold between the longitudinal planar sections at opposite sides of the fold tends to enlarge under the natural biasing of the paper material from which the strip means are formed.
Although it is desirable for there to be some relaxation of the angle at the folds between the longitudinal planar sections, the general amount of this angle at each fold and its subsequent ability to be maintained in a generally acute form does affect the quality of the packing product. In other words, the preferred packing product does not simply include the formation of such folds which could eventually relax to form an obtuse angle between the adjacent longitudinal planar sections at either side of the folds. Such a "relaxed" longitudinally compressed strip means would not have some of the desired characteristics of resilience and side lateral support which is highly desired.
Consequently, while the inventions disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,972 and U.S. application Ser. No. 538,181 do produce a desired packing product having general characteristics for resilience as taught therein, any method or apparatus which could be employed to insure or improve the preferred quality of the packing product would be desirable. In this regard, U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,972 and U.S. application Ser. No. 538,181 disclose means for varying the resistance to the discharge of the plurality of strip means which are formed by the cutting means. This variation in the resistance in the confined area following the array of cutting discs does vary the force created on each of the longitudinally compressed strip means.
However, it has been found that the general humidity in the manufacturing facility during the production of such packing material tends to affect the quality of the resilient packing product. If there was a relatively low humidity, the amount of resistance created at the discharge of the cutting means would be at a relatively high level while if the facility had a higher humidity, the amount of resistance created would need to be adjusted to a different lower level in order to try to reproduce the same desired characteristics of the longitudinally compressed strip means of the preferred resilient packing product.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,680,203; 2,668,573; 2,679,887; 2,786,399; and 3,150,576 disclose method and apparatus for generally crinkling, crumpling or folding sheet material.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,680,203 relates to crepe as a product and to the method and apparatus for making the same. The method and apparatus is for making the product whether the web is dry, wet or, preferably, moistened. There is included means for feeding the web but for affecting the crowding of different portions thereof with the relative different pressures and at different angles whereby there is produced in the web crinkles, crepes or waves extending in relatively different directions and being of relative different but predetermined densities.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,668,573 is for corrugating paper. The invention disclosed therein employed material dampened to a suitable extent., which was passed by feed rollers into a channel for the production of the corrugated form. The channel included two parallel surfaces which were spaced corresponding to the heights of the finished waves. The channel includes rollers or plates which have been warmed or heated to a suitable extent. In this way, the ridges of the waves or the tops of the corrugations which got along the warm surfaces would first be dried up or, as it were, made permanent. The corrugations brought about in this way were very close together with adjacent tops or ridges touching or nearly touching one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,679,887 discloses a method of crinkling or crimping of paper previously coated with polyethylene resin or laminated with polyethylene film. The web passes beneath the drum which extends into a tank containing water which is heated to a suitable temperature to cause the polyethylene as it passes through the tank to be conditioned so as to be soft and pliable without becoming materially tacky or losing its shape or flowing. In addition to conditioning the polyethylene, the passage of the composite web through the tank serves to condition the paper in the usual manner for the subsequent crinkling and corrugating operation, the time the material is subjected to the bath being such as to affect such conditioning of the paper.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,786,399 is directed to the formation of bodies of crumpled sheet material of the type particularly adapted for the use as engine oil filter elements. During the operation, elongated strips or sheets of newsprint paper are progressively and continuously advanced after the two strips of paper pass upwardly between rollers, the paper is passed beneath a nozzle through which a spray of air-drying resinent plastic material mixed with water is directed downwardly to the surface of the paper. As the paper passes through a crumpling mechanism, the resinus plastic is allowed to dry at room temperature.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,150,576 discloses a process and apparatus for forming transversely corrugations of all forms in sheet or bands of malleable material. With the preferred malleable material being paper, the paper is advanced for movement between herringbone forms by an inlet nozzle which is connected to a supply of suitable hot fluid under pressure, such as steam, to precondition the material prior to the final formation thereof.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,680,203; 2,679,887; 2,768,399; and 3,150,567 disclose the step of adding steam, water or some other wetting agent to material in sheet form prior to the manipulation, folding or creasing thereof.
While the patents discussed hereinabove include means for treating entire sheets of material, U.S. Pat. No. 2,045,498 discloses fabrics which may be formed of strips cut from a web of regenerated cellulose that may be used in the trimming of hats and shoes and in knitted fabrics. The individual strips or strands lack tinsel strength and flexibility and may be treated with reagents of the softener type to relieve the stiffness to the point where the fabric is usable in a limited field. Flat strips of desired width, which are cut from the web of regenerated cellulose, are relatively hard and inelastic and possess undesired stiffness and a low order of tinsel strength. The strips are squeezed or crushed upon themselves to provide uniformly soft and pliable strands or ribbons which have relatively great tinsel strength after they are drawn through a dye including restricted axial cylindrical boars. Before being delivered to the dye, each strip is dusted or sprayed with a lubricant such as paraffin or other wax. The treatment helps to ease the stock through the dye and also operates to reduce friction of the parts as they pass over from the flat stage to the labyrinthian or involuted stage.
Prior to U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,972 and the disclosure of the apparatus and method for folding and crimping shredded strips of sheet material as disclosed therein, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,621,567; 2,686,466; and 2,770,302 disclosed different means for attempting to shred a paper in a form-which could be utilized as a type of packing material. In one way or another, each of these devices shred or shear paper into strips arid to provide kinks to the strips at spaced-apart points along their length to produce generally zig zag strips. While the kinks or angles are obtuse and not as firmly formed or established as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,972, it is nevertheless clear that despite the less efficient and effective manner in which the strips are formed, it would be advantageous having a firm and well established zig zag form. Despite the teaching of the devices disclosed in the patents if hereinabove which include method and apparatus for generally crinkling, crumpling or folding sheet material, none of these patents regarding shredding or shearing of paper to form strips suggest the use of water or other fluid to improve the resulting product formed thereby. In fact, there would clearly be some concern that any such complicated series of overlapping shredding discs or cutting wheels could properly operate in an environment including paper which was wetened or in a moistened condition.
It should be noted that the preferred machine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,972 includes cutting blades which are serrated. The serrated cutting blades were intended to facilitate easy shredding of the sheet material and to assist in pulling the sheet material into the shredding device once the sheet material engages the cutting blades. However, it has been found that the use of such serrated cutting blades significantly increases the dust formed during the formation of the desired strips of material. On the other hand, the preferred cutting wheel configuration disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 538,181 includes smooth outer surfaces which nevertheless are capable of "gripping" and pulling the material therein for the desired cutting of the sheet material into strip form. Nevertheless, the extensive cutting of the sheet material into numerous strip means produces dust material formed of extremely small pieces of material. While it is not known if such dust of small paper material is formed during the shredding by the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,621,567; 2,686,466; and 2,770,301, it is recognized that any extensive cutting of such material could result in the formation of such dust particles.
On the other hand, it is quite possible that the formation of such dust would be greater in U.S. application Ser. No. 538,181 as compared to the other devices which used an entirely different method for providing kinks or bends in the strips formed thereby. Because of the preferred method and apparatus for forming the strip means by the restriction thereof at the outlet of the cutting section, the strip means are retained within the cutting area for a significant amount of time during which the cutting wheels rotate rapidly by the collected strip means therein. This rotation of the cutting blades clearly produces friction thereon which will wear on the newly formed cut edges of the strip means to further produce the dust particles. Obviously, the use of the serrated cutting blades in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,972 has been found to significantly increase the undesired quantity of dust created by the means for forming the strips thereof.
A number of other patents, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,865,080; 2,968,857; 3,235,442; and 3,859,965 disclose means for treating various filaments or fibers with some dampening or wetting element to generally improve their characteristics.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,865,080 discloses method and apparatus for crimping and relaxing filaments. Specifically, the preferred filaments include an acrylonitrile polymer in which individual filaments are crimped by feeding them into a confined space wherein the filament mass is accumulated until sufficient push is developed to open the forced-pressure exit door. Such is commonly referred to as a "stuffer-box" crimper. The method is apparently improved by the introduction of steam into the crimper chamber since the steam is both moist and hot and tends to soften the filaments so that they crimp more readily.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,968,857 discloses high bulk filamentary material and the method for producing the same in which continuous filaments or staple fibers of organic acid esters of cellulose are formed by extrusion of solutions through orvices in a member known as a jet. Accordingly, the filaments may be provided in non-circular cross sectional configurations. To lubricate the tow of such filaments, it is passed over a roller which is dipped through a throft containing water or a water emulsion of lubricants and softening agents. After the tow is passed through a first stuffing box it is again passed through a roller configuration which contains water or other lubricant.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,235,442 discloses a crimped tow of crystallizable linear condensation polyester and to the process for forming the same. The tow is drawn by being passed through a series of feed rollers which are maintained at a given uniform peripheral speed and then around additional rollers having a uniform peripheral can still be higher than that of the feed rollers. While being advanced through the speed rollers, the tow passes through a pre-wetting vessel which contains an aqueous bath which may be at room temperature or which may be heated to a temperature in the range of 40 to 70. Additional hot liquid may be sprayed on the tow as it is moved with the tow being drawn to a length several times its original length in response to the tension imposed by the draw rolls. Eventually, the tow is advanced to a "stuffer box" for producing a collection of the tow in a generally crimped, sheet form.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,695 discloses a stuffer crimping system for textile strands including yarns, tows or threads. It has been found desirable to introduce into the stuffing crimper chamber a fluid under pressure, such as steam, to provide the desired temperature and pressure for heating and moisture to the strands in a chamber while having due regard for the material of which the strands are made.
Clearly, any means for improving the quality of the packing product as generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,972 and U.S. application Ser. No. 538,181, which are assigned to the same assignee of the present application and are incorporated by reference herein, would be desirable. It would be advantageous to include any method or apparatus which would improve the quality of the product and simplify its formation. Additionally, it would be advantageous to employ any method or apparatus which would reduce the formation of undesired dust products which tend to be entrapped in the packing product.